Greetings!

It turns out that the myths were real...

The Haunted Forest has awakened from the sleep of the grave!

Deliciously ironic for a union that deals in so much dark imagery, don't you think?

Don't answer that. Your insatiable thirst for sarcasm has just been temporarily satisfied.

Huge respect, eternal thanks, and a big Devil horn salute to my buddy, hush404, for not only proving directly instrumental in the resurrection of The Haunted Forest, but also for being a clear voice of reason for me in very tough times here at GS when I contemplated abandoning this site altogether.

hush404 also crafted the spooky banner and icon for the union the first time around, and it is the banner/icon set that we use now.

A big thanks to all of The Haunted Forest's co-founders/charter members and those who randomly wander in to check things out, both past and present.

Until next time...

Hey there!

Travel with me back in time...

Back to the wastes of early 2008.

Back in those days, there existed a place called "The Haunted Forest" here at GS - a well-established union that featured discussion of the creepy, the unusual, the macabre.

Then one day...

It was gone.

Legend says that the union's founder was making ready to leave GameSpot for good, never to return.

Such a mystery!

I wonder what it would be like if we could turn back time? I wonder whatever happened to that union from a bygone era...

We may never know.

Or, maybe we will!

Whispers on the wind hint at the return of the mighty Haunted Forest, resurrected and awakened from the land of the dead.

But these are only myths, right?

Until next time...

Hi there!

Time for my patented pollyanna-ish post-E3 "Everything ruled hard!!!11!" take on what took place at E3 2008...

Yes, friends, despite the illusion of foreshadowing, and your voracious hunger for sarcasm (seriously, you should see somebody about that), E3 2008 was something that I enjoyed watching extensive coverage of. You know how I do - I hand out game and game review scores of 10 like I am passing out fliers out in front of an IceCapades show, but what I saw and heard this time around at E3 gave my enjoyment of videogames a kick in the lumbego.

Actually, this office chair did that, but anyway...

The "Big 3" console combatants in the arena of competition lived up to my perception of their respective roles and personalities brilliantly. Microsoft gave me a little taste of what is soon to be in my collection (I need a drool cup) with Gears Of War 2, and it looks great! Big M also rolled out some controversial footage of their revamped Xbox 360 dashboard interface, which I am actually looking forward to. Microsoft's new partnership with Netflix solidifies their position as leader of the online game console non-game entertainment field as well.

Will I use Netflix on Xbox Live?

Not likely, but it was a cool thing to learn about.

Nintendo proved that they must be growing something hallucenogenic in the atriums of their corporate offices, and I, for one, am jealous.

Way to bogart the shroomage there, Miyamoto!

I do not even pretend to understand or enjoy what Nintendo has become in recent years, but I respect and admire their ever-blooming creativity and vision. Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii looked cool, as did their flagship title for the new enhancement add-on for the Wii-mote, Wii Sports Resort.

Let me just take a moment as a post-thirtysomething gamer who has had more than one beer in his lifetime, and has used a disposable lighter for more than just burning the fringe off of old bluejeans, say that I am STILL laughing about the name that Nintendo chose to go with for their latest-gen console.

Wii

You gotta hand it to them, though - they have made themselves once again very relevant and popular, and worn the badge they have given themselves with honor.

Sony came out of left field this year with some high quality stuff that I had no idea that they were working on. The LittleBigPlanet-enhanced presentation that was given during Sony's press conference was the coolest moment at this year's E3, and I strongly urge anybody who didn't catch it live to go and have a look at it for themselves. The stoic, jaded, invite-only crowd that planted their complacent butts in the seats of the auditorium to witness Sony's corporate "brochure in live long form" actually LAUGHED and SMILED during the LittleBigPlanet presentation... as did I.

Now that's the Sony that I remember from days gone by! They just walked up to a table full of crap, cleared it with a single arm stroke and said "This is what we are going to do.", and made people laugh and have fun without even having everybody play a game.

Granted, I am not a Wii (heh heh), DS, PS3, PSP, or even a PS2 owner, but I appreciate and respect the hard work of companies that manufacture and support consoles that I do not own because it gives me a cool barometer for the future of my own gaming enjoyment.

Other games that got my energy drink-augmented pulse into the red zone include:

• Fallout 3
• Resident Evil 5
• Resistance 2
• Age Of Booty (winner of my pick for "Best. Gametitle. Ever.")
• MAG
• Dead Space
• Far Cry 2

I would also like to make special mention of the game "Flower". Seeing this title demonstrated instantly took me back to seeing games like Guitar Hero, DDR, and Mr. Mosquito in action for the first time - games that make you say "What the Hell?!?", but through pushing existing technology and serious creative power, they give a glimpse into new ideas and innovation. Refreshing.

All in all, a great showing at this year's E3!

I give it a (wait for it)

10

.

In other news that you may or may not give a flying crap about:

The mighty leader of the always controversial and fiery union here at GameSpot - The Satanist Union - has chosen to take a well-earned and well-needed break at this time, and, as an officer and longtime supporter of The Satanist Union, CptJSparrow bestowed the title of union leader on yours truly.

Ah... I can almost hear the clicking of a million mouses as throngs of Booticon blog readers quickly navigate away from the page and feel somehow compelled to wash something.

Fear not, Blogonauts! Not only will I serve as a respectful, ample, and trusted leader of The Satanist Union, I will continue to bring my patented brand of enjoyment of creepy entertainment masked in pollyanna finery to this space, as well as to The Dark.

You may be asking "WTF?!? How can this clown actually expect anyone to believe that he can show respect for, express interest in, and have a bloodborne desire for the diabolical and misanthropic, all while continuing to go about life (ha) on this website as a fan of most things?"

It is all in the wrist.

I would remind you that my tenure in The Satanist Union, as well as my interest/support in several other unions with an outwardly "dark" tone stretch back far into the past, much farther than what can be gleaned through having a glance at the "unions" section of my profile page.

Decades?

Centuries?

Millennia?

No, a few years.

That's not the point. What I am saying is that it is longer than a week, and you should be chided mercilessly for your intense hunger for sarcasm. Seriously. That can't be healthy.

.

Now, if you will excuse me, I must try once again to coax my muscles out of a state of temporary (but brutal) atrophy.

Until next time...